Linda Cardellini takes matters into her own hands this winter by sending out DVD screeners of "Return" to Oscar voters. Nominated last month for an Independent Spirit Award for best female lead, Cardellini stars as a returning soldier trying to readjust to small-town civilian life after a tour of duty in Afghanistan. To remind Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences members about the virtues of "Return," originally released in February, Cardellini organized an awards season campaign.

She says, "There was no budget for submitting our film (for awards consideration). I thought, 'This is something I can do.' A lot of people worked really hard on this. It's good for the film; it's certainly not bad for me."

When "Return" first came out, Cardellini couldn't do much promotion because she was hospitalized with pneumonia prior to giving birth to her first child, Lilah-Rose.

Cardellini, whose boyfriend is fellow Redwood City native Steve Rodriguez, began looking for a small movie with a strong female character following her tenure on the hit TV drama "E.R." "Return" fit the bill, she says. "When I read the script, it didn't tell me how to think. As one woman's story, it brought about questions more than answers."

After bonding with writer-director Liza Johnson, Cardellini researched her Kelli character by meeting with war veterans. "Liza and I spoke to people who had been deployed. For some who came home, it really disrupted their life. I learned that sometimes there's this communication breakdown with their loved ones and the intimacy is lost. For Kelli, it was hard to come back to who she was before she left. And she wanted that so badly."

"Return" takes a low-key approach to the challenges facing Kelli, her husband (Michael Shannon) and their two children. "It wasn't about playing big catastrophic moments," says Cardellini. "It was about playing this string of tiny moments that together show this woman's life unraveling. I think that's sort of how things go in life. Even if something giant happens, it's the little things that end up telling your fate."

Jackman, Gyllenhaal heading to Georgia

Alcon Entertainment makes a high-profile move next month when it begins production in Georgia on "Prisoners." Hugh Jackman, drawing raves for "Les Misérables," stars as a small-town carpenter who runs afoul of a detective played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Previously Oscar-nominated for "Brokeback Mountain," Gyllenhaal received glowing reviews this fall in the police drama "End of Watch." "Prisoners" will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, who earned a best foreign-language film Academy Award nomination for his 2011 Canadian drama "Incendies."

New Orleans doc more than just child's play

Filmmaking brothers Bill and Turner Rossmoved to New Orleans to make a documentary, "Tchoupitoulas," about the city's gritty nightlife as experienced from a child's point of view. After seven months of nighttime filming, they finally spotted the young stars who would carry the story.

An obstacle remained, says Bill Ross. "When we approached the (Zanders) brothers ... they were enthusiastic, but the two eldest, Bryan and Kentrell, had a stipulation: William couldn't be in the film because he was too annoying."

Bill and Turner convinced the senior siblings that their kid brother needed to be included. That same night, the boys took off for a night on the town with the Ross brothers.

The siblings had a tough time getting access to one particularly colorful karaoke bar, according to Bill Ross. "For months, we'd talk to the owner and ask to shoot there. He kept telling us, come back tomorrow. One night, he said: 'You guys really want to shoot here? Take your shirts off, step up on stage and sing me a Frank Sinatrasong.' So we took our shirts off and sang 'Fly Me to the Moon.' We started shooting right after that." {sbox}